how to make an extra $500 each month

When you need an income boost, these 15 ways to make an extra $500 a month are a game changer! Some you can even do from home.

What would you do with an extra $500 a month? Maybe you would get out of debt, or maybe you would save up for a vacation. No matter what, we can all agree that a little extra money is always nice.

All of the ideas I’m about to share are jobs you can get with relative ease. Some of them aren’t even really jobs!

Keep reading and learn how to give your bank account that boosts it needs!

How To Make An Extra $500 A Month: 15 Different Ways

This list is pretty big and includes a variety of employment opportunities from work at home ideas to jobs you can do in your free time. Pick out the ones that seem the most attractive, and with a little focus and hard work you could potentially make even more than $500 a month.

1. Coaching Or Consulting

If you have expertise in a specific field, offer your knowledge on a per-project basis. For example, if you have years of advertising and marketing experience, offer to consult on small projects with local businesses.

Coaching is a little different.

Consulting tends to be with businesses and management. Coaching is more personal. You might coach someone in sales that needs help with improving their close rate, while you may consult with a manager and give them ideas to train their entire team.

Both coaches and consultants have the ability to earn wages upwards of $50-100 per hour, depending on how much expertise and experience you have. You’d only have to work for 10 hours a month to hit that $500 goal.

2. Freelance Writing

There are a variety of different types of writers out there and all of them pay different amounts. Some places pay per word while others per article. If you enjoy writing, then search for ways to write articles in your free time. You could earn way more than $500 a month this way.

One of the most popular places to find freelance writing jobs is Upwork and LinkedIn.

3. Become A Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant works for online entrepreneurs and website owners to do administrative tasks. The duties vary widely depending on who you work for, and the pay is usually around $15 – $50 per hour.

This is a fantastic side or part-time job because you can do it from home and it has pretty flexible hours.

Some of the duties of virtual assistants include:

  • updating website content
  • social media posting
  • managing emails
  • creating Pinterest and social media graphics

My friend Abbey has a free virtual assistant checklist and starter kit just for you. You can check it out and see if becoming a virtual assistant sounds like something you’re interested in.

4. Photography

You can definitley earn a little extra income if you have a passion and talent for photography. You can offer to take photos of local families and kids or offer to take social media photos for local small businesses.

Popular stock photography sites will also pay for your images.

5. Sell Crafts Online

Another way to earn $500 a month is to sell homemade goods online!

You can either set up an account on Etsy or set up your own Shopify store. This way, you can sell as much or as little as you have time for. The amount you make is only dependant on how much you advertise and sell.

6. Deliver Food/Groceries

In the current gig economy, delivery people have the ability to earn some serious cash!

Some of the most popular delivery apps include:

There are always new ones being added to this list, and most will allow you to join as many as you want. The process is so simple. You just log in and take the orders that you want, when you want.

Some people report making around $25 an hour this way.

7. Drive for Uber/Lyft

If shopping isn’t your thing, then maybe you’ll enjoy using your car as a taxi. Uber and Lyft are both very popular ways to earn extra cash on your days off.

Talk to your accountant because there could be tax benefits to driving for Uber or Lyft; such as deducting your mileage, cell phone bill, and any snacks or water bottles you buy for customers.

8. Rent Out Extra Bedrooms/Basement

Do you live in a busy town or a tourist destination? Capitalize on that and rent out a bedroom!

If you have a finished basement, turn it into a private guest suite so you can give travelers privacy. Airbnb makes the entire process easy. If you have a guest house or finished basement that’s rentable, you can make more than $500 in a month.

9. Get Paid To Watch TV

Yes, this is a thing! Become a Netflix “tagger”.

Basically, these are reviewers that watch content and then tag it as being viewed with relevant metadata. This is a very high-demand job, so when positions become available, they go fast.

10. Web Design

For the technologically proficient, coding and designing websites for small businesses/bloggers may be for you. This is a technical job that requires a specific skill set so you can charge more per hour if you are good at it!

There are lots of different aspects of web design you can get into. Maybe you want to create graphics for bloggers, or maybe you are better at coding and want to create your own WordPress theme.

11. Teach English

Teaching English is its own work from home job, so if you already have a full-time job this might not be for you. However, if you do have more time to give, then look into this position.

There are companies that are hiring people to work online and teach children English.

Some of the most popular ones are:

12. Online Tutoring

A more flexible option if you have less time is to tutor kids online. This can range from SAT prep to elementary tutoring. Some people might even hire you to tutor kids in person!

Tip: If you work directly with families, you can set your own rate.

Tutor online to help you make an extra $500 each month
Online Tutoring. Smiling Asian Woman Tutor With Headset Working On Laptop In Cafe, Having Web Conference With Students

13. Accounting/Bookkeeping

Accounting and bookkeeping is a really flexible way to make some additional income, especially if you are good with details and numbers. Small business owners often prefer to hire people to handle this part; it’s commonly the first thing they hire out.

14. Organize Homes

Does organizing a room make you smile? Consider home organization as a side-hustle! You can charge per-room, per project or even per hour if you want.

Since you will be running your own business, you get to set the rates.

15. Shopping

What about shopping? Does finding a good deal make you happy? Do you love putting together cute outfits or going from store to store and shopping all day? You can make money shopping for other people.

There are lots of different ways you can turn this hobby into a profitable side-hustle to make you $500 a month or more.

You can set up a blog and earn money through affiliate marketing. Brands and businesses will give you a unique link and every time someone shops through your link, you get a percent of the sale.

Another way to earn money shopping is to become a personal shopper. People will pay you to help them find good deals on clothes, or even shop for their groceries for them.

How To Make An Extra $500 A Month (Or More!)

As you can see, the options are endless!

If you need to make $500 a month, then combine some of these ideas and make it work with your lifestyle. When you decide what you want to do, all you have to do is spread the word about your new services or side-hustle.

The best way to do this is to start with friends and family. Network with others in your field, too.

Then, take that extra money and reinvest it into your home and budget!